The Ancient Hidden Secret

Amar Pandit , CFA , CFP

Amar Pandit

A respected entrepreneur with 25+ years of Experience, Amar Pandit is the Founder of several companies that are making a Happy difference in the lives of people. He is currently the Founder of Happyness Factory, a world-class online investment & goal-based financial planning platform through which he aims to help every Indian family save and invest wisely. He is very passionate about spreading financial literacy and is the author of 4 bestselling books (+ 2 more to release in 2020), 8 Sketch Books, Board Game and 700 + columns.

Robin Sharma in his book “Who Will Cry When You Die?” wrote a powerful story from ancient Indian mythology. The story resonated so deeply with today’s topic that I immediately revised my opening paragraphs. Without wasting any more words, let me share the story.

“Thousands of years ago, it was believed that everyone who walked the earth was a god. But humankind abused its limitless powers so the supreme God decided to hide the Godhead, the source of all this potential, so that no one could find it. The question then became, where could such a thing be hidden?

The first adviser suggested it could be placed deep in the ground to which the supreme God replied, ‘No, eventually someone will dig deep enough and find it.’ The second adviser then offered, ‘What if we placed the godhead at the bottom of the deepest ocean’ to which the supreme God responded, ‘No, eventually someone will dive deep enough and find it.’ The third adviser then chimed in, ‘Why don’t we put it on top of the highest mountain?’ which prompted the supreme God to reply, ‘No, I am certain that eventually someone will scale the highest of peaks and find it.’

After reflecting for some time, the supreme God found the solution: I will put this source of all human power, potential and purpose inside the hearts of every woman, man, and child on the planet, for they will never think to look there.”

Isn’t this super powerful?

We all have this power, potential and purpose inside us…Inside each one of us… Inside you…and inside me…

The important work that we need to do is to find it…

Yes…Find It… Discover It…Work on it…

The greatest people who have come and gone before us all knew a simple and powerful strategy: they knew themselves. They took time to think, reflect, and act on the special qualities that made them unique…They then poured their souls into honing and magnifying their unique gifts to make a real difference in the lives of people…

There is immense power in the work you do …You transform the financial lives of people…You help people make their dreams come true…The work you do enables people to sleep well at night…We all have been gifted the capacity for genius stuff…

The question is- Are you using this gift to explore your fullest potential?

Are you narrowing the gap between what you are today and what your potential is?

Because if you are not doing this, let me be direct…you are doing yourself a disservice… you are doing all the people who could have benefited from your gift a disservice… The sad thing is that most people have lost sight of these gifts that lie within them…

Have you lost sight of it too?

Consider this as a friendly reminder to never lose sight of this gift…

Robin wrote, “Norman Cousins once noted that, “The tragedy of life is not death, but what we let die inside of us while we live.” In a similar vein, Ashley Montagu wrote that The deepest personal defeat suffered by human beings is constituted by the difference between what one was capable of becoming and what one has in fact become.” There is a difference between simply existing and truly living. There is also a distinction between simply surviving and really thriving.

I observe so many people in our industry/profession…They simply exist…They let their potential dieeven those who are recognized and showered with praise and awards……Your potential is not defined by your AUM….whether Rs.100 Crore or Rs.1000 Crore or even Rs.10000 Crore…You are not your AUM…Your potential is not your resume… Your potential is not defined by your current fame and success either…In fact, your current success might be your potential’s Enemy Number 1.

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In the above visual, you can also replace “the thing I want to do” with “the thing I might be capable of.”

Can I ask you something?

There might be something that you have dreamed of but there is something holding you back…What do you think that is?

What is stopping you from exploring your fullest potential?

Let me be direct yet again…

You’re scared.

Right? The reason is fear.

We never finish because we hide behind the little things. What colour should the logo be? What font should I use? I don’t know how to do this...and the best reason is, “I am busy…I will do it later.”

Let me be clear about something. What is holding you up isn’t the size of your font—it’s the size of your fear.

The reason our work never feels finished is not because we are perfectionists, it’s because we are scared nobody will like it, scared it won’t work out, scared of failing.

We fear failing…We fear uncertainty…We fear trying something new …We fear investing in our business.

The way we deal with that fear is by picking a roadblock and hiding behind it, just like when we were children and hid under the blankets from the monster in the closet.

Don’t get me wrong—being scared is normal, human, and totally OK…The problem is letting our fears prevent us from making the quantum leap between “The Thing I Want To Do” and “Actually Doing It.”

The key to getting to 100 percent is understanding why we are really stuck at 99 percent. It’s not about any specific roadblock. It’s about fear.

Courage is not an absence of fear…Courage is acting in the presence of fear…

I am committed to working hard and conquering my fear and laziness…to realize my potential…

What about you?

William James observed, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude.” 

I rephrase this observation as – The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can awaken his potential by altering his attitude.

Isn’t it time you awaken your potential?